As Maple Ridge continues to grow, so does its traffic needs, which is why the City of Maple Ridge announced Wednesday that it would be moving forward to get several key infrastructure projects funded that would help diminish the strain of daily traffic on the city’s residents.
These projects are all part of the new Maple Ridge Moves campaign, which Mayor Dan Ruimy said would bring some substantial changes to the city’s transit network.
“With the Maple Ridge Moves plan, the city is taking action to ensure our community is positioned to manage population growth and a strong economy, while preserving the quality of life that our residents cherish,” said Ruimy.
As part of the campaign, the city is ready to be the first place in the Lower Mainland to introduce a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line.
These advanced and streamlined bus networks arose from TransLink’s new 10-year expansion plan, with two different BRT lines coming to Maple Ridge.
The first of these lines will connect the city to Coquitlam, with the second going south from Maple Ridge to Langley.
“The transportation improvements in the Maple Ridge Moves plan will enable residents to have access to faster and more frequent buses, better connecting the city centre to the rest of the Lower Mainland,” said Mayor Ruimy.
“Transit and growing the density along these routes go together to help create the housing and access that we need in the region. As we work to speed up the efficiency of bus transit service, we are providing more options for people to get around.”
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In addition to the new BRT network, the city also announced that it would undertake several other major infrastructure projects:
• Expand Golden Ears Way starting at 210th Street and going west to help reduce bottleneck issues in the area
• Construct a new bridge across the South Alouette River at 240th Street to give additional access to Golden Ears Provincial Park and the Silver Valley neighbourhood
• Expand Abernethy Way in three phases all the way to 256th Street to create a more direct route to the Golden Ears park
“With this announcement, we will be seeking meetings with senior government colleagues to get these projects funded and built as fast as we can,” said Mayor Ruimy.
“UBCM is the perfect opportunity to advocate for these projects. We will be looking to head to Victoria and Ottawa this fall to secure support for these initiatives. We are also looking forward to working with our local chamber of commerce and downtown business improvement association to help get these priorities in front of key provincial and federal partners.”
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Chamber executive director Kristi Maier said that she was pleased to see the city taking these steps to improve local transportation infrastructure.
“These projects will mean more people can get to work more easily, will create more jobs and enable the critical movement of goods to market. The chamber is in full support and look forward to working with the city on our mutual goals.”
According to Ruimy, the total price tag for all of these projects will come to approximately $170 million, which doesn’t include the cost of the BRT lines.
“That’s a big number,” said the mayor. “But traditionally, the feds have been able to come up with 40 per cent of that, and the province can come up with a little bit more. But it depends on the pockets of funding that are out there.”
More information about these infrastructure projects can be found at www.mapleridge.ca/moves.
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